Post-game comments after Spurs’ victory over Minnesota

Here’s what the Spurs and Timberwolves had to say after the Spurs’ 107-101 victory at the AT&T Center Friday night.

Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer

(On being down 15 points when he took over for Coach Popovich who had been ejected…asked if this goes in his record book or Coach Pop’s)

“No. I think it goes to the team. I think he probably got everybody fired up. The crowd was amazing and the players I think they kind of knew he probably wasn’t very happy and wanted to come in and make him happy to end the game.”

(On the Richard Jefferson dunk)

“The execution by the guys was great. I think Manu’s such a threat at the end of the game; he draws so much attention. Timmy’s a great passer and he found the open guy. It was a timely bucket for us. (Was that the way the play was drawn up?) Pretty much. There were maybe a couple of guys that were a half a foot out of space or something like that. It’s something that Pop’s drawn up before. It was great execution.”

(When asked if George Hill looked a little like Manu Ginobili in the fourth quarter)

“I think his energy and his effort was unbelievable whether you compare him to Manu or just anybody. That loose ball he got out there near half court; it was phenomenal. I think everybody fed off of him and his defense and his effort and his playmaking. He made some big shots and he got to the rim. Pop’s always on him about being aggressive and more aggressive and more aggressive. Tonight, he’s probably happy with him”

(On being down 15 points…what did he say to the team?)

“We talked about getting some stops and trying to push the pace and just getting back in it. I think we hadn’t had a good defensive quarter to that point. So, just try to make a run, cut the lead and see where it goes.”

(Assessment of the first three quarters and what it was that got them to that point)

“They were just beating us badly; probably in every way, shape and form…particularly on the boards. I think the final rebounding stat sheet (59 -37). I think the rebounding game was hurting us. Michael Beasley was having an incredible game. He twisted his ankle and missed a big chunk of that fourth quarter. I think that probably had a big impact on the game, because he was playing phenomenal. Without him, I think that hurt them a little bit. He was able to come back, but I don’t know if he was 100%. So I think Michael Beasley on the boards for the first three quarters was just what put us down 15.”

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili

(On shooting 1-10 from the field but still scoring 16 points)

“This was the first time. I just couldn’t get my legs under my shot and it was a very bad night for me shooting, so I stopped in the fourth quarter and tried to let the other guys do stuff. I knew I was shooting good from the free throw line, so when I had that opportunity, I went for the ball.”

(On the difference in the fourth quarter defensively)

“Aggressiveness. We were very aggressive, we attacked the ball a lot, we started blitzing to try to force some mistakes from them and they did. We made a great run, but it’s not that we made a lot of shots. We didn’t make five threes to make this comeback, it was with defense. We are proud of the way we did it, but we’re definitely not proud of the way we played for three quarters. We’re doing that too much. I guess luck has been on our side lately, but we have to start playing for 48. This isn’t going to stay like this the whole season.”

(On the discrepancy in rebounds)

“They are one heck of a rebounding team, Darko [Milicic], Kevin Love, the leader in the league, and [Michael] Beasley. They have a lot of big bodies to get those boards. We knew about it, we talked about it, but they are just good. They go hard and they have a talent for that, so I give them credit.”

(On Pop getting thrown out of the game)

“You can understand what [Coach Popovich] is doing, trying to get us more involved, more upset, and fire us up. But it didn’t work right away because we went from 8 to 15 in seconds. At the beginning of the fourth, to come back from a 15-point deficit is not easy. It was not an easy situation.”

(On the play out of the timeout that gave Richard Jefferson a wide-open dunk)

“It was a great play. We needed a bucket. It’s a play that we’ve run a couple times before and it’s worked too. It’s not something that you can do that often, but it was a good play and well executed.”

Spurs forward Tim Duncan

(On coming back from a 15-point deficit)

“That’s not our plan, but it was a great fourth quarter and our guys really hustled. We made plays and we found a way to get it done. Obviously that’s not the situation we want to be in on a nightly basis, but given that situation, it was the best outcome possible. We played hard, we got some shots to go down, we defended great in that fourth quarter, we held them to 15 points and found a way to win.”

(On the play out of the timeout that gave Richard Jefferson a wide-open dunk)

“It was a great play. [Assistant Coach Mike Budenholzer] drew it up and Richard [Jefferson] just slipped and was wide open. Bud called the play, he said it would be there and it was there.”

(On getting outrebounded and outshot and still coming back to win)

“Kevin Love had an unbelievable game. He’s been a monster this season and finds ways to get to that ball. He really kept it alive for them. We got to the penalty early in that fourth quarter and we used it to our advantage. We got to the line, people made free throws, and with that clock stopped we were putting points on the board. We just found a way to win.”

(On the energy of George Hill in the fourth quarter)

“It was great. He made plays on both ends and had a great and-1 towards the end there and a big rebound that we called a timeout on. His energy is there and those are the kind of plays we need from a lot of different guys. That’s what we’ve been getting all season. We don’t know who’s going to show up or who’s going to do what, but we find a way to get the job done.”

(On Tony Parker breaking out of his funk)

“He was great. I don’t know that he was in that much of a funk, he had a bad game. I’ve had plenty of bad games at the start of the season. We’re all playing hard and we’re all trying to get it done one way or another. Some nights are going to be worse than others, but that’s the NBA for you.”

Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis

(On his thoughts on the game)

“Down in the ball game, we tried different lineups out there. We did a really good job on both ends of the floor; we made them work for the win. Again, we showed our youth and inexperience at getting stops, reading situations, turning the basketball over, and not being able to execute in critical junctures of the ball game. And that’s what hurts us, not having a closer type that we can all trust to do the right things at the right time. I was pleased with how well they played, how hard they fought, the energy they put in the ball game, but it’s unfortunate we lost.”

(On losing a big lead in back-to-back games to the Spurs)

“That’s what happens. That’s what good teams do. Good teams have the confidence that they’re going to come back and win. They’ve been in those kinds of situations before; they know how to dig themselves out of holes. Every good team knows how to do that. Young teams unfortunately cannot figure out how to hold big leads. They turn the basketball over, have poor execution, don’t get organized, get anxious and lose their poise; all of the things those good teams that have been in those situations don’t do.”

(On the Spurs’ changes in the fourth quarter)

“They ran that one big play; got (Richard) Jefferson that wide-open look. And obviously when they were pressuring, we didn’t match up with (Antonio) McDyess wide open in transition. But we didn’t have any timeouts at that point in time. They have got good players and good plays, they’re unselfish, they move the basketball, they spread the floor, and a lot of times we made defensive mistakes. We didn’t spot up the right people at the right time. We had our chances to do the right things but we didn’t quite execute them. We were almost there; we just weren’t all the way there.”

(On the Timberwolves’ injury disruptions)

“It hurt when Michael (Beasley) went out and it hurt when A.T. (Anthony Tolliver) went out. Those are two key components; a starter and a significant offense off our bench. When Darko (Milicic) fouled out, it hurt again.”

Timberwolves forward Kevin Love

(On what it is going to take to win one of these types of games)

“Not play the Spurs, and just execute down the stretch. We had too many turnovers today; they forced us into bad decisions. As far as the offensive end, they made us go exactly where they wanted us to go, they trapped us or they made us drive the baseline and throw a tough pass. That was kind of the difference there at the end, we just didn’t execute.”

(On how you explain the Spurs’ run at the end of the game)

“That’s an experienced team, they didn’t even have Popovich there on the bench. I can’t tell you what it is, if it’s our defense, or our lineups, I can’t really pinpoint what it is that we’re doing wrong in those situations. We know we are turning the ball over, we just need to figure out what it’s going to get for us to win those ball games.”

(On if there is any sense of “there we go again” when you start to lose your composure in the end of games)

“Yeah, you can definitely feel that out there. But, for us we need to pick our heads up, stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and just go out there and play basketball.”

Timberwolves center Darko Milicic

(On how you feel about the team’s overall performance tonight)

“We had a good game. We had a lead, they’re just a veteran team, they know how to play and handle the game.”

(On reasons for losing the game down the stretch)

“We need to just hold on to the ball and not turn the ball over, be patient with the ball and try to get a good shot and some stops.”

(On what the team needs to improve on)

“We have to work on everything. I know they’re a great team; we just have to keep on going. Last time we had a good game against them, and then we came back against Golden State and had a terrible game. We just have to keep trying to play well because another team is not going to be as good as them.”